Pages

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

The Blue Umbrella: Umbrella Replica (Pixar Studio Store)

Today's post is another pretty special item...straight from the Pixar Studio Store (not open to the public), the blue umbrella from, well, The Blue Umbrella directed by Saschka Unseld! I'm a huge fan of that short film (released last year in theaters with Monsters University). The film is absolutely beautiful to me and does one of the things Pixar does best: bringing inanimate objects to life and making you feel emotion for them. As soon as I saw the film with its gorgeous animation, charming story and a catchy musical score, I knew I needed a blue umbrella for myself and hoped Pixar would release an official one.

Happily they did, however they only released it at the store there inside Pixar Studios. Why Pixar? Why do you keep on releasing the coolest stuff there where nobody can really get it? : ) I was hoping for a wide Disney Store release of this, but no.

Now the trick...how do I get it if it's only there at the studio? I either need connections with someone who works there or wait for it to show up on eBay. Since I unfortunately don't know any employee at Pixar, I had to go the eBay route.

VERY rarely did I see this on eBay and when I did, it was way too expensive for me to pay. Then, just last week, I just happened to check to see if there was a current listing for it...and sure enough there was! Not only that but caught it just in time as it was ending in just a few hours.

The best part was that the listing had a "Best Offer" option. I wasn't going to go for it but my wife Brita was loving enough to encourage me to try! I put in my best offer and heard nothing for a few hours. At 2 in the morning, I happened to wake up so I checked to see if there were any updates with it. Needless to say, I won! It was a pretty neat and unexpected surprise as I was sure someone would offer something higher.

Everything about this umbrella says quality. It's just an amazing product! Everything is so well made from the wooden handle to the canopy. As you can see, this umbrella came brand new, pulled right from the bin at the studio store.

The color is so vibrant, they really nailed the shade of blue from the film! It's like it's straight out of the short.

These pictures just don't do it justice, but I tried to capture just how phenomenal this thing really is. It is well worth a high price on eBay if you get a chance. As usual, and I know I usually say this but it's true, I can't recommend this enough!

On the back, you'll find the ever so classy The Blue Umbrella logo. It's so simple, yet one of my favorites!

Thanks so much for dropping by to check out my collection! Please, if I can do anything to help, just ask! Be sure to check back daily for even more items from my Pixar Collection, and, if you're a collector yourself, feel free to participate in my "Collector's Collections" page above.

Now if only they'll release a similar umbrella to the public someday
because I really want the red one as well. This guy isn't complete
without her by his side. Which reminds me... A happy, happy birthday to my incredible Brita!

Actually, I'm no better than you, ha! It's funny you bring this up cause after I recorded I was like "wait a second, what was I thinking?! I'm not really gonna go out in the rain with this thing!" Yah, it's way to valuable. I guess I was thinking if I were to go out with an umbrella (since I don't ever use them), I wouldn't mind being seen using this one-if that makes sense :P